Industry News
US-Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu won the Women’s Halfpipe event at the FIS World Cup in Secret Garden, China, with 94.25 points, beating Hanna Faulhaber from the US by an entire 12 points to second place. Faulhaber became the 2023 World Champion at Bakuriani, Georgia earlier this year. This marks her fourth career World Cup podium. Teammates Riley Jacobs and Kate Gray both earned personal bests in competition, taking home the fourth and sixth spots, respectively. Third place went to Canada’s Amy Fraser with 79.25 points.
The Men’s Halfpipe was won by Team USA’s freeskier Alex Ferreira with 91.00, who claimed his fifth career World Cup victory. Sharing the podium with him was his teammate Hunter Hess, who finished in third 2.25 points behind Ferreira. Second place went to Luke Harrold from New Zealand who scored 89.25 points. Team USA Freeskiers Dylan Ladd finished in seventh and Kai Morris finished in eighth, marking a personal best for the 19-year-old freeskier.
“I was actually talking to my coach on the bus ride up… I don’t know what’s going on but this is the least stressed I’ve ever been going into a final. I think it’s finally because I have my life in order and am just so happy to be skiing well. I’ve been training very hard and everything’s just unfolding in front of my eyes exactly how I envisioned it.”
— Alex Ferreira
It has been the first competition for former U.S. athlete Eileen Gu in 11 months since suffering an injury almost a year ago. Gu had changed her FIS membership to her mother’s birth nation China in the lead-up to the Beijing 2022 Olympics, causing some controversy in her native America. Gu dominated the women’s event, moving into the Finals from Qualifications in first place with 94.25 points. She remained unstoppable throughtout the event, going from strength to strength on each run.
“Coming back and having my first competition here in Secret Garden after 11 months out of the bib, it’s a dream come true. Seeing all the fans out here cheering me on, it gives me memories of the Olympics, for sure. I feel really proud seeing how many people in China have taken up snowsports since the Olympics in 2022 and the real passion people have started to cultivate for it here, especially young people. There’s a ton of girls out here skiing and snowboarding, too, and if I helped influence that, that’s all I could have ever asked for.”
— Eileen Gu
The FIS Freeski World Cup moves to America next, with a Halfpipe and Big Air event being held at Copper Mountain, Colorado, from December 13-16, 2023.
